Martin Lewis is a financial journalist and broadcaster with a net worth of £123 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Lewis made his wealth founding and selling MoneySavingExpert.com to MoneySupermarket in 2012.
Background
Born in London, Martin Lewis is currently 51-years-old. After studying broadcast journalism, he started his career in journalism with the BBC, working on Radio Five Live and Radio 4’s Today Programme.
The Martin Lewis we know and love today emerged while working on Simply Money. He was passionate about helping people make better financial decisions and launched his website soon after. The majority of his wealth has been achieved through his website.
MoneySavingExpert
In February 2003, Martin Lewis launched MoneySavingExpert.com and paid just £100 to build the website. MSE has become the go-to financial resource in the UK to help people save money in every aspect of their life including utilities, credit cards and mortgages.
MSE operates a popular forum where people can ask questions and share their money-saving tips. Martin Lewis made his fortune selling MoneySavingExpert.com to MoneySupermarket for up to £87 million. As part of the deal he received £35 million in cash plus shares in MoneySupermarket.com worth £25 million.
In 2015, he sold these shares for £25.2 million and kindly handed over £4.75m to the Charities Aid Foundation. Despite selling the website, he still remains heavily involved and operates independently.
MSE generates revenue through affiliate links, the Cheap Energy Club and exclusive share revenue deals with partners. The site receives around 16 million visitors per month and is one of the most trusted brands in the UK.
TV Show
“The Martin Lewis Money Show” has played a huge role in building his brand and driving people to his website. He also appears on Good Morning Britain. There is no doubt that he’s careful with his money and encourages others to do the same! Over the years, he has launched many successful campaigns to get rid of unfair bank charges, capping energy bills, and more.
Personal life
Martin married Lara Lewington, a TV journalist and former weather girl. The pair got married in 2009 and have a daughter together called Sapphire. The family lives in London and owns a property in Cheshire, Manchester. In 2014, Lewis was given an OBE by the queen for services to consumer rights and charity.
Online scam ads
As Mr Lewis is a highly respected figure, fraudsters use his brand to scam vulnerable people. A retired teacher lost £125,000 investing in an online Bitcoin scam and I’m sure she’s not alone. In 2018, he took Facebook to the High Court after 1,000 ads appeared on the site abusing his name. Martin settled the lawsuit for £3 million and agreed to donate the sum to an anti-scam charity.
